A Week Of Close Calls And Final Demise  

            The June 22^nd of 1881 issue of the FLUME carried two story’s of near death for some local citizen’s and one killing.   It seems the general consensus was a sigh of relief all the way around. 

“Crushed by the Rocks 

            A case of heroic fortitude and excruciating torture is reported from Horse Shoe gulch.  It appears that John Martin, one of the most enterprising and plucky miners of the Horse Shoe district, was engaged in developing a claim on Heisler hill a good distance above timberline, and had sunk a shaft seven or eight feet.  Tuesday morning he left the Palmer house for his work as usual and every thing went well until about eleven o’clock in the forenoon when, in some manner, a mass of rock weighing more than a ton caved in from one side of the shaft, completely filling it, with the exception of a few inches on one side.  On leg was caught between the wall and the falling rock and terribly crushed and broken below the knee.  By a wonderful exertion of strength, Martin released his leg and managed to crawl onto the dump.  Here he lay in mortal agony and shouting at the top of his voice for four long hours.  There was not a human being for more than a mile around and it seemed to Martin as if he must die of pain and cold.  His leg swelled rapidly and his lips were parched for want of water.  Finally his repeated shouts for help were heard by the Hopple brothers, who were working high up on Sheep Mountain and nearly two miles distant, and they came to his rescue.  They removed him to the Palmer house and Dr. Shoemaker was summoned and immediately went out and set the leg.  Although he has suffered terrible pain, yet it is believed that the leg can be saved.  Martin says that as he lay alone he determined to cut his throat with a pocket knife which he carried rather then endure the terrible torture all night.” 

“A Stray Shot 

            The excitement created at Park, in Mosquito gulch, by the shooting of John Issacson, has nearly died away already, although the incident is but four or five days old.  On Friday afternoon John O’Hara, keeper of the Red Light dance hall in Fairplay, together with several of the inmates, took a ride and stopped at Flick’s saloon in Mosquito, until after dark.  Some drinking was done, and from a mixed account we gather that most of the pary were pretty full.  At eight o’clock or thereabouts, the dance house crowd started to come back to town.  John Issacson, who is an inoffensive Swede and unable to speak English, stood near the door of the saloon outside.  Suddenly a pistol went off and the ball passed through Issacson’s mouth and out near his ear.  John O’Hara was getting into the carriage at the time, and his story is that the pistol dropped from his pocket and exploded on the ground.  Others say he flourished the pistol and shot without looking.  The officers who have examined the course of the ball believe the former to be the case.  O’Hara made off at once, and on reaching Fairplay gave himself up to the sheriff, who locked him up.  An hour later a number of horsemen came down from Park in search of him, and had they found him then he would have received severe treatment.  O’Hara lay in the county jail until yesterday morning, when, as no one appeared against him, he was discharged.  Issacson is under medical treatment at Alma, and his wound is rapidly healing.” 

News Brief 

“ The killing of Jim Moon, a notorous gambler and pugilist who has been a terror to the Denver police for a year or two past, occurred in the Arcade saloon in that city on the morning of June 16^th.  Clay Wilson a fellow gambler, suspected by Moon of intimacy with his wife, was the avenger of many a bloody deed done by the later, and while his conduct is not to be upheld, yet many will breathe a sigh of relief over its result.  Moon’s proper name was John Wilcoxson.”